Q. Couple questions. The first one is everybody knows you're the best friend of Andy, and he's going through a tough time right now. Have you talked to him? What have those conversations been like, and where is his head right now?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Yeah, I try to talk to him every day. You know, it's hard when you want to help the team, and everything that you do is not happening, especially when you're a rookie, and you had a really good regular season, and it feels like he's not helping the team in the situation that he is in right now, and he's not able to do anything positive for the team, it's hard.
But not only me, but the other guys are there to give the support that he needs to go through this.
Q. And then your situation, you're having a really good postseason, kind of quietly. Everyone's talking about Freeman and Mookie and Shohei and Will Smith, and you're the one that's coming through. Does that help you that people are focusing on other people and maybe takes the pressure off you and makes you a relax a little bit?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Not really. I don't really feel pressure at all. I'm just here to do my job, focus on the things that I can do to help the team, and not thinking about what other people said about me or not said about me.
Q. Miguel was in here talking about kind of the mindset going into tonight and looking to force a Game 7. He talked about the importance of execution. For you personally, what is -- whether it's mindset or feeling or focus for you going into this game tonight?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: It's the same thing that I always think about. Just go out there, have the best at-bat that I can give my team, trying to get on base, trying to do damage early in the game, trying to put pressure any way possible, just trying to do my part, the things that I know I can do to help this team.
Q. The 18-inning game and obviously three games all in a row, anybody would be exhausted no matter how mentally tough you are, but now you have that off day. Describe how good that felt for you guys.
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: It's good. At the end of the day, at this point your body is a little beat up, but once you get onto the field, you don't think about being tired or something that is tight or something that is hurting. It's just more like what can I do today positive to win a ball game. Right now, we're not thinking about being tired or the trip, the flight, everything that happened on the flight day. It's just more the things that we can do on the field.
Q. What's your favorite Halloween memory?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I don't have any. Yeah, being in the U.S. or here. For this time? A lot. But I guess I'm going to get some memories moving forward.
Q. Watching Vladdy on the other side in this series, what sticks out to you about him that might be different from when you were his teammate? And in what ways do you feel like maybe he's grown into that role of kind of being the face of that team?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I think the only difference that I see on him is that he understands now that he has to be the leader of that group and that he has to do things and then the team are going to follow him because that's the way everybody was seeing him since the first day he got into the league. When we were there, I always tell him that he's the face of the organization, and he has to be a leader for the group.
Q. What do you think got him to a place where he finally understood that?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I think the way they play. Being in first place almost the whole season and understanding the things that they can do as a team, I think that was the key for him to get past the regular player that he was before, and just taking the pride in the position as a leader of that group.
Q. Miguel Rojas was in here saying that winning two games in a row is something the Dodgers are used to doing and he would bet on the Dodgers to do that. If you can talk about that kind of confidence in the clubhouse.
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Yeah, we feel really confident about our team. Like you said, this is not the first time that we've faced an elimination game. We did it last year. We did it a lot of times in the regular season when we were not playing the best baseball that we can play, and then we win, three, four in a row. This is one more. We just got to think about today, trying to win, and then take care of the game tomorrow if we win today.
Q. You played for two Blue Jays teams that made the playoffs. You were a big part of those. How have the Blue Jays changed since those years from what you've seen in this World Series? How are they different?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I think in the past, the players don't understand the role that they have on the team. I think that's why the Toronto Blue Jays of 2025 are really good, because everybody understands what they have to do and what is their part as an individual to help the team. I think that's the difference.
The players, when I was here, didn't understand what their role was or what can they do as a player to help the team in those situations. I feel like the players that they have right now, they know what they have to do, and they just are not thinking about anything else besides the things that they know that they have to do to help the team.
Q. When you say they didn't understand their roles back when you were here, do you think that's because there was bad communication from management or because guys, a lot of you were very young, were all trying to do too much?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I think it has to be the experience. I think we were too young to understand everything that we can do and the things that we have to do as an individual. And now it's more like they're putting together really good communication with the players, and the players are communicating with the coaching staff, and I think that's the difference.
Q. Just back to Vladdy for a second. You saw him when he was at his absolute best in 2021. You're seeing what he's doing now ALCS MVP, and he's got a chance to do the same in the World Series. I know you're concentrating on the Dodgers, but do you take a moment to step back, and what have you thought of what he's been able to do in this series?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Yeah, as much as I want to think about myself and the Dodgers, you know, I have a good relationship with him. He's doing the same thing with me. He's following every step of my career, all of the games and everything. We had a really good communication during the season, during the playoffs, and now that we're facing each other.
It's just incredible. There's nothing that has surprised me, because I know he was able to do that. I think he just doesn't have the opportunity like now to show everything that he can do on the field.
Q. Toward the end of the regular season there was kind of some talk about, when the stakes are highest, it can kind of bring out the best in you as a team. Why do you think that is, and do you think that applies tonight in an elimination game?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Yeah, I mean, we all know that everything has to go perfect for us to be able to pull this off. We have talent, we have really good players, but I think in situations like this one it's just not that. You have to do everything perfect. You have to do the little things to be able to win a ball game like this, and just, you know, just concentrate on the things that you can do as a player and the things that you can do to help the team. Other than that, it's not good to think about.
Q. And does that mentality when it comes to the offense kind of lend itself to taking more team at-bats up and down the lineup?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Yes, I think what makes us really good is that, not only hitting the ball for power, just taking good at-bats, getting on base, taking walks, taking one at-bat of eight pitches, seven pitches, to make the pitcher work. And also trusting the other guys behind you. I think that's going to be the key for us to be able to win this game tonight.
Q. When it comes to that offensive approach, you mentioned the other night sometimes you guys are maybe too passive, sometimes over aggressive. How do you kind of hone in on the offense you guys want to be for these next couple nights?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: Just thinking about the game plan that we used in the games in the past, and the one that we used when we have success in games, and just trying to put that together. Get a plan, execute the plan a hundred percent. Not being afraid of taking one pitch or hitting with two strikes or choking up the bat. Whatever it takes that in the past we have had success with it, and just trust in it and just go for it.
Q. Ahead of a really pivotal game like this, an important game, what are you listening to, what's on your playlist to hype you up?
TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ: I don't usually do any like loud music. For me, it's more a relaxing time. I listen a lot to Christian music, that's what makes my mind and my head calm so I can be ready for the game.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports